How to Stop Eating at Night

If you like to eat at night, you should know that this is a bad habit. You can't digest your food properly before you go to sleep and your food doesn't digest as well so that you can become fat. What's more, most people who eat at night don't eat healthy foods and this can negatively impact their overall health. If you are struggling to figure out ways to stop eating at night, just keep reading on.

How to Stop Eating at Night

It's well established that eating at night is not a healthy thing to do. These particular tips can help you get rid of it, so you'd better keep them in your mind.

1. Don't Skip Your Breakfast

The idea behind eating breakfast is that you eat more of your calories during the day and eat less at night. Breakfast foods tend to be healthier for you than nighttime snacks and will fill you up during the day. Your breakfast should contain a lot of protein, such as an egg. You can also drink a high protein shake at breakfast time. Protein sticks with you so you aren't as hungry later.

2. Eat Regular Meals

This means eating breakfast, lunch and supper each and every day. You can have snacks at regular times but your main calories should be gotten in your three regular meals per day. Your body will respond positively to the balanced meal program.

3. Have Good Quality Fat and Protein

There are good fats and there are bad fats. Good fats can be found in avocados, olive oil, coconut oil, seeds and nuts. High quality proteins can be found in grass-fed beef, chicken and fish. Eating these foods along with plenty of vegetables will fill you up with food that is good for you. So, at night, you won't eat any more.

4. Don't Drink Beverages at Night

This includes drinking any type of sugary liquid, such as juice, sports drinks, sodas, iced teas, or lattes. These will only raise your blood sugar levels and will cause a spike in the level of insulin. This results in food cravings.

5. Ease Your Stress Levels

When you are under a great deal of stress, you often eat inappropriate foods at inappropriate times. If you want to learn how to stop eating at night, you need to find ways to get rid of your stress besides eating. Things like meditation and yoga will help relieve some of your stress as can exercising on a regular basis. When you are under less stress, you have more balanced hormones and you are less likely to eat at night.

6. Make Sleep a Priority

If you don't get enough sleep, you will likely be hungry for foods containing a lot of sugar and other carbohydrates. Sleep deprivation also leads to a reduction in PYY (peptide), which is the hormone that tells your body you are full, and ghrelin will increase, which is a hormone that causes you to be hungry. So, getting enough sleep is a high priority.

7. Recognize Your Food Sensitivities

You may actually be eating a food at night because you are craving it. Foods you are sensitive or allergic to tend to be the ones that you crave the most. Dairy products and gluten-containing products can trigger this sensitivity. Try staying away from these products for a couple of weeks to see if you can experience a reduction in your food cravings.

8. Nutrients and Supplements

There are natural supplements you can take that keep your blood sugar balanced and can help curb your cravings.

Vitamin D is another molecule that helps in hormone balancing and the curbing of cravings.

Some supplements may be helpful. A fiber supplement known as PGX is made from glucomannan, which comes from a Japanese root and seaweed. It prevents elevations in blood sugar and insulin and keeps you feeling full, so you don't end up eating too much or snacking. Other supplements that fight cravings are lipoic acid, chromium, and N-acetyl cysteine. Branched chain amino acids can also help control your cravings.

9. Brush Your Teeth

If your mouth is clean and refreshed, you might not be as interested in eating at night. Toothpaste makes food taste different, so you will be less tempted to snack. Be noted: If you have GERD, stay away from mint toothpaste because it aggravates the condition.

10. Do Something After Dinner

Try doing some activity after dinner besides snacking. It can be something active like walking or jogging, or something sedentary like talking to a friend on the phone or reading a good book. Just finding something that distracts you will help you know how to stop eating at night.

11. Let Friends And Family Know About Your Problem

If you tell others you are trying to avoid eating at night, they can help you with diversions or reminders that can help you stay on course with not eating at night. They should be able to help you by getting rid of temptations and by talking you through weak moments.

12. Break Away from Things Associated With Food

If you eat during TV watching or while reading, you need to get rid of the associations that tempt you to grab for snacks. Instead of snacking during those times, find some other activities to do, like folding laundry or fixing your hair—things that need your hands are better. If you think you can alter your routines and habits, you will be successful.

In the following video, one lady shared her experience about how to stop eating at night that you may learn from:

If you can't stop snacking after trying every possible ways, try to focus on eating healthier snacks.